2016-11-21 04:54
Whether to punctuate between two or more adjectives preceding a noun can be a difficult decision to make. Consider these points next time you are confused about what is appropriate.
In the s… Read More
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Daily articles on grammar, spelling, misused words, punctuation, fiction writing, freelance writing and more!
2016-11-18 04:20
All but one of the following sentences demonstrate faulty sentence structure; revise the sentences as necessary:
1. He works well individually, with partners, or small groups.
2. She makes p… Read More
2016-11-17 04:37
Until 15 years ago or so becoming a freelance writer was not an easy task. You had to get in touch with print magazines and newspapers, and you had to convince the editor that you were the r… Read More
2016-11-16 04:44
When crafting sentences, writers must take care to check that verbs are inflected to correspond with the subject—the word or phrase the verb pertains to—which is not necessarily… Read More
2016-11-15 04:39
The English language includes some words that, originating in the vocabulary of warfare, have been applied to competitive contexts such as sports and business, while others that did not orig… Read More
2016-11-14 04:27
When expressing numbers in writing, take care to avoid erroneous styling of number ranges, mixed fractions, and multiple references to categorically similar numbers. The following examples… Read More
2016-11-12 04:52
Cant is jargon or trite commentary, or singsong speech. A chant is a type of song. Is there a connection between the words? Yes, and many other words are more or less obviously related.
They… Read More
2016-11-11 04:42
Are police and policy related? Not only are they cognates, but they used to mean the same thing—and politics is descended from the same word as well.
That word is polis, the Greek term… Read More
2016-11-10 04:48
All but one of the following sentences require hyphenation between two or more consecutive words to indicate that the phrase is a phrasal adjective; revise the sentences as necessary:
1. It… Read More
2016-11-09 04:10
In each of the following sentences, one or more hyphens are extraneous. A discussion and revision follows each example.
1. Data is accurate and often delivered in real-time.
“Real time… Read More
2016-11-08 04:49
When should you write north, and when is North appropriate? How about southern, or Southern? This post outlines the recommendations for when to use uppercase letters for words referring to c… Read More
2016-11-05 04:43
What’s the difference between a ship’s captain and a ship’s master? In contemporary usage, not much, but historically, the titles represented quite distinct roles. Captain… Read More
2016-11-04 04:40
Position, as a verb meaning “set” or “place” and as a noun referring to the attitude or location in which something is set or placed, is derived from the Latin verb p… Read More
2016-11-03 04:37
All but one of the following sentences demonstrate incorrect style for treatment of possessives according to The Chicago Manual of Style; revise sentences as necessary:
1. I walked over to t… Read More
2016-11-02 03:22
There are many editorial strategies for making text easy to write, edit, and read. Here are a few guidelines for simplifying how your company, organization, or publication (even if it’… Read More
2016-11-01 04:00
The solution to problems of parallel structure, in which a sentence’s syntactical elements are not quite balanced, is often simply a matter of inserting one missing word. That’s… Read More
2016-10-29 04:33
Boss has two distinct meanings, and though one might seem to be able to draw a connection between them—they both refer to something that stands out among others—they have differe… Read More
2016-10-27 04:26
All but one of the following sentences demonstrate incorrect style for abbreviations from Latin; revise the sentences as necessary:
1. Vehicles are classed in various categories (i.e., cars… Read More
2016-10-26 04:26
An attribution is a phrase that describes who said or wrote something. It is stated parenthetically before, in the midst of, or after a statement or question (it is basically an introductory… Read More
2016-10-25 04:23
An essential, or restrictive, clause is a part of a sentence that provides integral context for the reader. A nonessential, or nonrestrictive, clause is parenthetical, presenting additional… Read More
2016-10-24 04:20
What’s the difference between tactile and tangible? Very little—and they are cognate, sharing the same Latin source—but there is a subtle distinction in their use.
Tactile… Read More
2016-10-22 04:07
When constructing vertical lists—sets of words, phrases, or sentences that are formatted vertically below an introductory phrase rather than included within a sentence (the latter is c… Read More
2016-10-21 04:04
All but one of the following sentences demonstrate incorrect style for treatment of terms pertaining to academic subjects, courses, and lectures according to The Chicago Manual of Style; rev… Read More
2016-10-19 04:59
A variety of more or less colorful colloquialisms referring to police officers and similar authority figures have developed in American English, sometimes inspired by other languages. Here i… Read More
2016-10-18 04:57
Using the right word for the job, or considering whether a word is needed at all, distinguishes careful writing from careless writing. Discussion and revision of the following sentences illu… Read More
2016-10-17 04:06
Writers are often confused about whether a phrase beginning with an adverb should be hyphenated. The answers to the following three questions explain when hyphenation is required and when it… Read More
2016-10-15 04:54
What is the difference between often and oftentimes, and is oft a word? The short answers are that there is no difference, and yes.
These three adverbs all stem from the Old English (and Mid… Read More
2016-10-14 04:53
When sentence elements that provide additional, nonessential information are not positioned in proximity to the word or phrase they directly pertain to, the sentence is often awkward at best… Read More
2016-10-12 04:46
There are numerous ways to inadvertently derail a sentence by failing to provide consistent structure to parallel elements. The following sentences illustrate various types of pitfalls and h… Read More
2016-10-11 04:42
1. It is essential for management to have the ability to assess how good the organization is at embracing risk.
This is a case of a smothered verb—a verb converted into noun form, whic… Read More
2016-10-10 04:37
Dangling participles are verbs that are intended to refer to a particular noun but that, because of how the main clause of the sentence is crafted, do not support the noun. The main clause… Read More
2016-10-08 04:37
Ponder and pound respectively pertain figuratively and literally to weighing things, and this commonality isn’t a coincidence: The Latin word pondus, meaning “weight,” is t… Read More
2016-10-07 04:36
Each of the sentences below represents a distinct type of careless writing that obfuscates meaning. The statements are followed by discussions and revisions.
1. The strategy includes trigger… Read More
2016-10-04 04:28
In each of the sentences below, a phrase that supports the main clause of the statement but should be distinct from it lacks an essential element that identifies it as a subordinate clause:… Read More
2016-10-03 04:22
Is there any connection between the nautical term ship and the prefix -ship? As it turns out, the word and the prefix may share an ancient ancestry.
The word ship is descended from the Old E… Read More
2016-10-01 04:09
An assortment of diverse words stem from the Latin word species, which had two distinct meanings, one of which is “a particular kind, sort, or type”—the pertinent sense for… Read More
2016-09-30 04:34
All but one of the following sentences demonstrate incorrect style for large numbers according to The Chicago Manual of Style; revise the style of the number as necessary:
1. This city of 3… Read More
2016-09-29 04:30
In spoken English, even the most careful speaker may casually misplace the modifier only in a sentence, as in “The meeting will only be held if the ordinance passes.” The intende… Read More
2016-09-28 04:41
Framing a word or phrase in scare quotes, or quotation marks used for emphasis, can be an effective tool for signaling editorial distance—that is, subtly and succinctly clarifying that… Read More
2016-09-27 09:47
Writers who have misheard words and expressions or remember them imperfectly are prone to misrepresenting them in their prose. The following sentences include examples of such errors, follow… Read More
2016-09-26 04:38
YOLO, but biatch, lose the moobs.
What do these three words have in common? They are all enshrined in the English-speaking world’s long-reigning record of the language’s vocabula… Read More
2016-09-24 03:19
If you’re the betting type, and you wager on whether a given word beginning with a prefix is attached directly to the root word or linked with a hyphen, bet against the hyphen: The tre… Read More
2016-09-23 04:55
The grammatical convention known as suspensive hyphenation is employed when two or more adjacent and parallel phrasal adjectives, phrases that in tandem modify a noun that follows them, have… Read More
2016-09-22 04:54
All but one of the following sentences are incorrect; insert or omit a hyphen in the others as necessary:
1. He’s a sharp dressed young man.
2. As usual, the event was well-attended.
3… Read More
2016-09-21 04:29
In each of the sentences below, superfluous punctuation interrupts the flow of the sentence. Discussion and revision of each example indicates the correct treatment of the statements.
1. Smi… Read More
2016-09-20 04:06
Innumerable missteps in constructing sentences are possible. Here are five random statements with assorted obstacles to comprehension, each accompanied by discussion and a revision.
1. The p… Read More
2016-09-19 04:47
Writers frequently neglect to connect two words that together constitute a single grammatical unit modifying a noun that follows them. This error of omission is even more likely when the phr… Read More
2016-09-17 04:17
What’s the difference between an atheist and an agnostic? As with most words, the answer lies in the etymological origins of the words.
Atheist stems, through atheism, from the French… Read More
2016-09-16 04:31
All but one of the following sentences demonstrate incorrect style for styling dates according to The Chicago Manual of Style; revise the style of the number as necessary:
1. I’ll expe… Read More
2016-09-14 04:43
Each of the following sentences omits or misuses punctuation, resulting in possible confusion when a word or phrase is attached to a main clause or a transition occurs. Discussion and revisi… Read More
2016-09-13 04:46
Technology certainly created a period of prosperity for writers all around the world. Before the advent of the Web making money as a freelance writer was relatively difficult, because you ha… Read More
2016-09-12 04:39
The term hack, which entered general usage with a new, nontechnological sense of “solution” or “work-around,” as in the phrase “life hack,” in the previou… Read More
2016-09-10 04:42
The words marquee and marquis are sometimes confused. Though they have distinct meanings, interestingly enough, one of the terms begat the other.
Marquis stems from the Old French term march… Read More
2016-09-09 04:51
All but one of the following sentences demonstrate incorrect style for question marks according to The Chicago Manual of Style; revise the sentence as necessary:
1. Am I to blame? he asked h… Read More
2016-09-08 04:38
Parentheses serve several specific functions, but their general purpose is to set a grammatical unit of content off from the surrounding text. The parenthesized material can range from a sin… Read More
2016-09-07 04:20
Publications generally use one of two systems of referring to numbers: Spell out numbers to ten and use numerals for all larger numbers (with some exceptions such as informal usage of large… Read More
2016-09-06 04:22
Dozens of compound words, all but a few closed, end with the word stone, though some of the terms have figurative senses stemming from the original meaning and a few do not refer to actual t… Read More
2016-09-05 04:26
The following five sentences demonstrate various ways a carelessly worded or constructed sentence can fail to communicate the intended idea. A discussion and a revision follows each example… Read More
2016-09-03 04:34
The prefix alt-, an abbreviation of alternate, has appeared in the media lately, attached to the word right to denote a political movement supporting nationalism and opposing multiculturalis… Read More
2016-09-02 04:09
All but one of the following sentences includes a dangling modifier. Revise as necessary:
1. Running consistently every day, the workouts steadily became easier.
2. Studying for her degree… Read More
2016-09-01 04:35
The Latin verb spirare, meaning “breathe,” is the source of a number of verbs (and other parts of speech). Here’s a summary of these words and their meanings.
Aspire litera… Read More
2016-08-31 04:56
The term usage in the context of language refers to the employment of the proper word or phrase to convey an idea. Writers often produce usage errors in one of several ways. They misuse a wo… Read More
2016-08-30 04:45
Writers often have difficulty constructing sentences so that comparisons, contrasts, and lists, as well as parenthetical elements, are logically arranged. The following five sentences demons… Read More
2016-08-29 04:16
The distinction between subconscious and unconscious is a subtle one. The noun subconscious refers to the mind’s activities just beneath consciousness, and the part of the mind devoted… Read More
2016-08-27 04:58
A reference to the name of a law called the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act
pointed out to me how easily confusion is created in writers’ minds by varying treatment of hyphenated t… Read More
2016-08-26 04:15
All but one of the following sentences demonstrate incorrect style for suspensive hyphenation; revise the style of the number as necessary:
1. Read these tips for space and time-efficient ga… Read More
2016-08-25 04:47
What’s the difference between a hurricane, a typhoon, and a tropical storm? The first two types of weather events are cyclones that sustain surface winds of at least 74 miles per hour… Read More
2016-08-24 04:29
This page will be updated regularly with the latest writing contests and competitions from around the web and the world! Make sure to bookmark it.
If you are promoting a writing contest, or… Read More
2016-08-23 04:28
The following questions from readers, and the responses, pertain to how words are formatted to provide emphasis.
1. When writing business documents such as Standard Operating Procedures or W… Read More
2016-08-22 04:20
Parenthesis is the strategy of setting a word, phrase, or clause off from a sentence to interject additional information into that statement. Despite the name, parenthesis can be accomplishe… Read More
2016-08-20 04:19
This generation, like every one before it and every one to follow, has the dubious pleasure of seeing evolution of language in action. The changes are obvious to careful writers, as they not… Read More
2016-08-19 04:51
Numerals are often used in numeronyms: in combination with other numerals and with letters to represent a word, phrase, or concept. This post loosens the definition of numeronym to also incl… Read More
2016-08-18 04:47
A surprising number and array of English words derive from the Latin verb specere, meaning “look at.” Each word, and its meaning and related forms, appears below.
1. aspect: a pa… Read More
2016-08-17 04:44
All but one of the following sentences demonstrate incorrect style for parenthesis; revise placement and capitalization as necessary:
1. I had the same experience last year (my story differs… Read More
2016-08-16 04:26
A conjunctive adverb is an adverb that has been authorized to perform the function of a conjunction, which simply means that it links one part of a sentence with another. (Standard conjuncti… Read More
2016-08-15 04:15
Each of the following sentences begins with a modifying phrase that is erroneously constructed in such a way that it appears to refer to the subject but does not. A discussion of the problem… Read More
2016-08-13 04:18
Yes, candid and candidate are cognate. It’s ironic, of course, that a word referring to forthrightness and honesty is the basis of a noun referring to someone who stands for political… Read More
2016-08-12 04:49
Words that refer collectively to one’s clothes have an origin in the sense of equipment or preparation; here are a dozen words available as alternatives to clothes.
Apparel, ultimately… Read More
2016-08-10 04:06
These three sentences exemplify incorrect insertion or omission of hyphens in numerical references. Each sentence is accompanied by a discussion and a revision.
1. The two albums have sold c… Read More
2016-08-09 04:06
Writers are often confused about whether to punctuate a phrase that includes two or more adjectives. To determine whether a comma is required between any two adjectives, test whether they ar… Read More
2016-08-08 04:12
Semicolons, used to separate two independent clauses or two or more words and/or phrases in a list when at least one phrase is itself a list whose items are separated by commas, are sometime… Read More
2016-08-06 04:33
Sapient and savor are cognates (words with the same origin)—which shouldn’t be surprising, as they both pertain to being perceptive.
These words, and the others discussed below… Read More
2016-08-05 04:31
All but one of the following sentences incorrectly sacrifices logic for the sake of consistency of verb tenses; revise verb tense forms as necessary.
1. Working with such close friends as th… Read More
2016-08-04 04:38
Writers are divided in opinion about punctuating introductory words or phrases—and often, they are at war with themselves with the topic. Even adherents of open punctuation will genera… Read More
2016-08-03 04:39
In each of the sentences below, the number of commas is excessive, which can obscure comprehension because the reader is distracted from effortlessly recognizing the syntactical structure of… Read More
2016-08-02 11:33
Omitting the article the from before the proper name of an organization or a location is a common error—even, surprisingly, in content produced by such entities. In each of the followi… Read More
2016-08-01 04:39
Revising sentences so that they’re more active isn’t mandatory, but strive to make most of your passively constructed sentences more dynamic—and while you’re at it, d… Read More
2016-07-30 04:54
How does one break? Which preposition follows the verb break depends, in American English idiom, on which type of literal or figurative breaking is occurring.
To break away is to escape, to… Read More
2016-07-29 04:31
The two diverse meanings of fine—as a noun or a verb referring to payment of a penalty and as an adjective denoting quality—stem from a common root.
Fine and its various derivati… Read More
2016-07-28 04:28
New words are being developed all the time, and there’s nothing we can do to stop this continuous expansion of our vocabulary—other than stop speaking, writing, and thinking, tha… Read More
2016-07-27 04:34
Hyphenation rules can seem complicated, leading to confusion for the writer. In the following sentences, determine whether a hyphen is called for in each example, and then read the discussio… Read More
2016-07-26 04:19
In each of the following sentences, a word or phrase is an obstacle to comprehension. The discussion and revision that follows each example suggests a path to clarity.
1. Technology companie… Read More
2016-07-25 04:10
Exactly what does doctor mean, and who can call himself or herself a doctor, and who can’t? A discussion of the term and its origins and parameters follows.
Doctor derives from the Lat… Read More
2016-07-23 04:07
This post discusses an assortment of words employed in English to refer to a group of people responsible for representing the general populace and passing laws, or to pertain to the room in… Read More
2016-07-22 04:51
Once upon a time, professional and amateur writers alike could count on books and publications to help guide them in writing clearly, coherently, and concisely. They knew that when they open… Read More
2016-07-21 04:29
We are always looking for new ways to distribute our content and to interact with our audience. That is why we decided to launch a YouTube channel, featuring short videos with grammar, punct… Read More
2016-07-20 04:30
In each of the following sentences, ambiguity or confusion results from faulty placement of a modifying phrase. Discussion and a revision of each sentence illustrates a solution to the probl… Read More
2016-07-19 04:27
The following five sentences present various problems with sentence organization. Each is followed by a discussion of the sentence and a revision that addresses the problem.
1. The policy is… Read More
2016-07-18 04:51
One approach to making prose more concise is to stitch together two related sentences by revising one so that it serves as a subordinate clause to the other rather than an independent statem… Read More
2016-07-16 04:09
Correct any capitalization errors in the following sentences.
1. Faith Hope is Executive Director at the Charity Foundation.
2. John Doe is the Roberta Roe Professor of Anthropology at Oxfor… Read More
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